


Stay with you

by No1fan15



Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Human, Complete, Disabled Character, Drowning, Dysfunctional Family, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/F, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-11-25
Updated: 2016-02-02
Packaged: 2018-05-03 08:04:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 11,046
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5283125
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/No1fan15/pseuds/No1fan15
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When Peridot Diamond got herself stuck in an malfunctioning elevator during college, the last thing she wanted to do was talk to the student stuck with her, a certain Lapis Lazuli Quartz. After a short conversation, however, they find that they have more in common than they thought. Human!Au / College!AU Main pairing is Lapidot - Also contains Poly Pearl/Amethyst/Jasper</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Elevator Companion

* * *

Peridot Diamond was not having a good day. First of all, her bus had been late, and she had to run to class. She was, as you could see by her physique, not suited for running. Secondly, she had to babysit that night, and was not looking forward to watching more of " Crying Breakfast Friends " with Steven. And finally, she was now stuck on a non-moving elevator, with a rather chatty student. She looked at her cellphone. It had been around 10 minutes since she had realized that the elevator had stopped working. The campus staff was working on a solution, but for the time being she would have to stay where she was. It wouldn't have been that bad if she had been by herself, as she liked the quiet, but no, she had to be stuck with the most talkative girl she had ever seen. The girl in question was talking on her phone, and hadn't shut up since she had started, seemingly talking to a relative. Peridot sighed, knowing that the girl was wasting her phone battery, and checked her own device. She tapped the message button to see that her sister had finally texted her back.

* * *

_**BirdNerd** _

_If the person you're with is talking, maybe you should talk back, try to make friends. They can't be that bad, besides, you could stand to socialize a bit more. ;P_

_**PeriTech** _

_Gee, thanks P, you want to talk to her yourself?_

_**BirdNerd** _

_Thanks, but I'll pass, I have ballet class to get to. On an unrelated note, have you changed my contact name yet?_

_**PeriTech** _

_Ha, you wish I did, you clod. :p_

* * *

Peridot smirked as she hit the send button. Pearl may be her twin, but she was still fair game for teasing, no matter how childlike it may be. She stole a glance towards her elevator companion, and almost jumped as she realized that they were staring at her, finally silent. Peridot turned her phone off and slipped it back into her satchel.

"What are you looking at? Did your phone die?" she snarled, glaring at the other student, trying to intimidate her. To her surprise, it didn't work as it usually did, as the response she got was a smile instead of a wince.

"No, but Jasper, my sister, finally shut up, so I turned it off. What about you?" said the other girl. Peridot stared at her, eyes moving from her flip-flops to her dyed blue hair, trying to comprehend this strange person standing next to her. She had mentioned the name Jasper, and it seemed slightly familiar, along with the girls appearance.

"Unlike you, I like to make sure my phone has energy, in case of an emergency." she said, shifting her gaze to focus on the door, hoping the break in eye contact would make the other girl shut up.

"Emergency's like this?" said her companion, gesturing to the elevator, still smiling.

"It's not that bad. We'll be out of here soon enough. But, while we're in here..." she spun on her heels to face Peridot.

"We might as well get to know each other. I'm Lapis Lazuli Quartz. What's your name?" she said, hand outstretched in greeting. Peridot glared at the offered appendage before reluctantly shaking hands.

"I'm Peridot, Peridot Diamond. " she grumbled, taking her hand back as soon as she could, and wiping it on her shirt. Lapis looked confused.

"Peridot? That sounds familiar..." she said, brow furrowed, thinking hard.

" Wait, are you Dotty?" she asked suddenly, face lighting up with another smile, pointing at Peridot. Peridot raised her eyebrows, a blush rising on her face at the mention of her little known nickname.

"How do you know that?" she stammered. " That's what Steven calls me..."

"I knew it! You are Dotty! Steven always talks about you! You're his babysitter! " exclaimed Lapis. " At least, he talks about you when I get to see him."

"How do you know Steven?" asked Peridot.

"He's my cousin." explained Lapis. " He lives with my Aunt Rose and Uncle Greg. He love to visit, but my mom doesn't let me see him anymore, not since I ran away from home."

"You ran away from home?" said Peridot, surprised. The girl she was talking to didn't seem like the type of person who would leave their family. Lapis blushed slightly.

"Yeah, I moved out, and it wasn't on the best terms with my mom. She keeps Steven away from me as much as she can. I still see him, but not very often." she said, her smile fading for the first time since Peridot met her. Silence fell over the elevator for a few seconds. After so much talking, the quiet just seemed, well, wrong.

" Well, it sounds like you've been through a lot, Lapis." Peridot said awkwardly. She wasn't the best at comforting people. " You must be a strong person to keep being so happy."

Lapis smiled again at Peridot, but this one seemed different, less casual and more thankful.

" Thanks Peridot. The truth is, I'm not really a happy person, but I try to be on the surface. I just look happy. Depression will to that to ya."

" Heh... I know how that feels, trust me." Peridot said with a small laugh, looking down at the floor. She almost had a heart attack when she felt a pair of arms come close to her, stopping just short of contact.

" What are you doing?" she asked Lapis. The other girl looked at her with an expression filled with sadness and longing.

" May I... hug you? I haven't really had anyone who understands me before... I know it's weird, but..." She didn't get a chance to finish her sentence as Peridot leaned towards her to complete the hug.

" I know. When someone knows how you feel, you latch onto them, afraid to let go, afraid that no one else will understand. It's hard, but... that's life. " she mumbled into the other girl's shoulder. Lapis hugged her back tightly.

"Thank you..." she whispered. Peridot gave her a light pat on the back.

"I don't hug people a lot, so... can you let go now?" she asked. Lapis pulled back from the hug.

"Oh, of course, sorry." she said. Peridot gave her a small but genuine smile.

"Thanks." she said. A loud " KLANG " sound reached her ears as the elevator began moving again. She looked over at Lapis to see that she had taken out her phone.

" If this isn't too odd, can I have your number?" she asked. Peridot smirked.

" I literally just hugged you without knowing anything about you. Giving you my number isn't " odd " so much as it is required." she said, tapping her contact info into the other girl's phone. Lapis smiled again as the doors opened.

" I'll text you later. Let me know how Steven's doing, okay? See ya!" she said as she swiftly walked away, one hand raised in farewell. Peridot waved back at her as she vanished into the crowd. Her phone buzzed to alert her to a new text.

* * *

_**BirdNerd** _

_I'll overlook the " clod " thing for now. I have a little time before class starts. Are you out of that elevator yet?_

* * *

Peridot smiled to herself as she began to text back, speedwalking towards her classroom.

* * *

_**PeriTech** _

_You won't believe who that girl was..._


	2. The pool

  _ **LapisLazyli**_

_Are you at the right building now?_

_**PeriTech** _

_I think so. Big glass roof, right?_

_**LapisLazyli** _

_That's the one! I'm at pool 2-C. I can't use my phone when I'm on duty, so you're on your own from here on out, kay? ;)_

_**PeriTech** _

_Gee, thanks. :p_

* * *

Peridot looked up from her phone and at the structure in front of her. When she agreed to meet Lapis at her workplace, she didn't know that the other girl worked at the local community center as a lifeguard. The two had texted for a while and Peridot had let Lapis talk to Steven over the phone the previous night. She assumed that the emotional spillover had led to the arrangement. Peridot sighed and walked through the doors and over to the front desk.

" Hi, I'm looking for pool 2-C?" she said. The teen behind the desk was obviously uninterested.

_"Probably an intern."_ Peridot thought. The girl snapped her gum and fiddled with her name tag that read " Jenny Pizza " in large blue letters. She raised a finger towards the vague direction of the pools.

" Follow the signs." she muttered, tapping away at her computer. Peridot half-heatedly said "Thank you" and walked towards the pools. She placed her satchel down and removed her shoes and socks. She mentally praised herself on remembering to wear her waterproof arm and leg prosthetic covers. Not that she planned on going in the pool, she just hadn't wanted to damage the expensive mechanics. She wasn't very good at swimming anyways, and usually sunk right away in deeper water. Even though her family was fairly wealthy, she still had to be careful with her artificial limbs, as her mother disapproved of such reckless behavior.

Peridot walked out onto the pool deck, marveling at the sheer size of the place, the glass walls stretching from floor to ceiling. The shallow pool was full of young children taking swimming lessons. The deeper pool was in a separate area and fairly empty. Peridot walked over and spotted Lapis sitting on the lifeguards chair. She waved and smiled slightly when she got a wave in return.

_"What's with me? It's not like she's my friend."_ Peridot thought. She was so preoccupied with her thoughts that she didn't notice the large pool toy Frisbee speeding towards her head. The hunk of foam collided with the back of her head with a wet " THUNK " noise. The impact wasn't particularly painful, but the force was enough to throw her off balance, and she fell forwards.

She had a split second to emit a sound that was a cross between a swear and a squeak before she landed in the water. She tried to hold her breath as she sank towards the bottom of the pool, but panicked and let out a cry for help, bubbles spiraling towards the surface. She felt overwhelmed at the water rushed into her mouth and nose, her vision blurring, flailing limbs ceasing their movement.

_"This is it. This is where I die. This is where my story ends. God, I have so many regrets."_ thought Peridot as she hit the bottom of the pool. Her eyes began to close slowly. She could faintly see the blurry figure of someone swimming towards her, their blue hair shimmering under the water, but she lost consciousness before she could piece together who it was.

* * *

Peridot came to slowly, feeling the floor tiles underneath her, realizing right after that someone's lips were touching hers. The pressure shifted from her face to her chest as whoever was above her preformed CPR. Peridot shuddered suddenly and coughed up water, gasping desperately for air, held down by a hand on her shoulder.

"Easy there. Just hold still, kay? You almost drowned." said a familiar voice. Peridot blinked the water out of her eyes and looked up at the girl above her. Lapis smiled back, looking relived, and dripping wet.

"Thank goodness I got you out of there in time. Another minute, and..." Lapis fell silent as they both thought of what could have happened to Peridot. Time seemed to blur as Peridot was moved from the pool deck to the infirmary by the staff. Lapis had to finish her shift, but promised to come back later. By the time Peridot could focus again, she was lying in a small bed, wrapped in a towel with a nurse nearby.

She stayed there for almost a half hour, staring at the ceiling, thinking about her current situation. She needed to get her arms and legs dried off as soon as possible, but she didn't want the nurse to get all uppity about the mechanical parts and mess something up. Her attention snapped back to reality as her phone buzzed. She slowly reached into her bag and saw that she had a text from Lapis.

* * *

_**LapisLazyli** _

_How're you doing? My shift's over but the nurse wouldn't let me into the infirmary since I'm not family. Stupid rule. If you ask nicely they might let me see you for a bit though. Let me know, kay?_

_**Peritech** _

_Well, I'm alive, and that's saying a lot. I'll ask the nurse if she'll let me see the person who saved my life. If I play to her sympathies, it shouldn't take too long._

_**LapisLazyli** _

_I'm not sure if I should be scared or happy. You really are something special, miss Diamond._

_**PeriTech** _

_I try to do my best. ;)_

_**LapisLazyli** _

_XD You do that._

* * *

Peridot looked down at her phone in minor disbelief.

_"Did I really just send a winking emoticon to someone I barely know?"_ she thought. She shook her head and focused on the task at hand. A few minutes, some fake tears, and one emotional speech later, Lapis walked into the room. The nurse left them alone and promised to be back in a little bit. Peridot smirked.

"I told you it would work." she said smugly. Lapis smiled back at her and raised an eyebrow.

"Indeed you did." she said, walking over to the bed and sitting next to it.

"So, how are you feeling?" she asked, looking concerned again. Peridot sighed.

"Soggy." she responded, earning her a laugh from Lapis.

"Well, soggy or not, I'm glad you're okay." said Lapis. She smiled and Peridot couldn't help but smile back.

"I'm only okay because of you." she said. "Speaking of you, can I get your help with something?"

"Sure, what it it?' asked Lapis. Peridot sat up in bed and reached down to her right knee. She pushed on either side of her joint and held it for ten seconds. A " Kachunk! " sound came from the limb as she pulled slightly and the lower half of her leg came away, leaving an exposed metal joint behind it.

"Well? Are you gonna help me with this, or not?" she said, smirking. Lapis looked stunned.

"Your legs are mechanical?" she said. Peridot nodded.

"From the knees down. Arms too, from the elbows, and that's what I need your help with. I am not trusting that nurse with something this important."

"So, you're trusting me?"

"Well, it's that or waiting until I get home, and I already got one leg off." she said. Lapis nodded, though she looked a little uneasy. Peridot gave her a reassuring smile.

"Look, it's not that hard, see? You press on both sides of the joint, hold down for ten seconds, and then pull. Easy.' she said, demonstrating with her other leg. Lapis reached over and tentatively pressed on either side of Peridot's left elbow.

"You have to press harder than that." said Peridot. Lapis obliged.

"Great, just hold that, and... pull, gently!" she said as she heard her arm detach. Lapis tugged on the arm and almost dropped it when it came off.

"I did it!" she exclaimed happily.

"Indeed you did. Now, do the other one." said Peridot. The second attempt went much smoother. Lapis stared in awe at the separated limbs that were now sitting on the bed.

"Wow... that's so... can I say cool?" said Lapis.

"You can, though most people say " weird " or " sorry ". Not like it was their fault." said Peridot.

"If I may ask... what happened?" inquired Lapis. Peridot gave her a sad smile.

"Nothing happened. I was born like this." she said. Lapis nodded again. The two stayed quiet for a bit. The silence was broken fairly quickly when the nurse walked back in and saw that Peridot was missing four of her body parts.

Explaining the situation took a while, and by the time the nurse had calmed down, Peridot's sister had come to pick her up. Lapis said goodbye and left, but not before she got a picture of Peridot to set as her contact icon. Pearl walked into the room, still in costume from ballet class, bag slung over her shoulder.

"Would that blue haired girl by the bus stop be your elevator friend by any chance?" she asked, a small smirk on her face. Peridot blushed slightly.

"Very funny Pearl. And yes, that was probably Lapis." she said. Pearl's smile only got wider as she helped Peridot into one of the infirmary wheelchairs.

"I knew she was your friend. You normally wouldn't care about someone enough to voluntarily talk to them more than once." she said, pushing the wheelchair down the hall. "She was the one who saved you, right?"

"How did you know?"

"The nurse told me when they called the house. You're lucky that mother's at work. She would have freaked out for sure." said Pearl.

"They called you?" said Peridot, surprised, as she thought such information would have gotten to her. Pearl nodded.

"They wanted to contact family. Jasper initially picked up the phone, but then Amethyst took it, and..." Pearl trailed off mid-sentence as a small blush rose on her cheeks.

"I know that Jasper is Lapis's sister, but why would she be at our house? And who's Amethyst?" asked Peridot.

"They're just some friends that came over to study. That's it." snapped Pearl, ending the conversation. Peridot could tell by the embarrassed look on her sister's face that she was lying, but decided to not press the issue. They made their way to the car and Peridot shuffled into the backseat.

"May I have at least one of my arms back?" she asked. Pearl nodded and helped her attach the prosthetic. Peridot reached into her bag and began texting as Pearl drove them back home.

* * *

_**Peritech** _

_Hey. On my way home. You?_

_**LapisLazyli** _

_Same. Do you want to meet up again tomorrow?_

_**Peritech** _

_My apologies if I don't feel like taking sinking classes again._

_**LapisLazyli** _

_LOL. How about I go to where you work instead?_

_**Peritech** _

_Sure. I'll text you the details later._

* * *

Peridot wondered for a second about the fact that she had agreed to meet with Lapis again. Most people she texted had stuff for class. She didn't have anyone she considered a friend. Well, maybe Steven,but he was just a kid. And Pearl was family. She didn't count. Peridot sighed again and looked out the window, allowing her thoughts to drift, barely focusing on the view.

_"What are you doing to me, Lapis Lazuli Quartz?"_

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: And that was chapter two! I hope you enjoyed it! I'm sorry if there's errors, I'm not the best editor.


	3. Part-Time job woes

_**LapisLazyli** _

_Yo, you on break yet?_

_**PeriTech** _

_No, my shift isn't done for 15 minutes._

_**LapisLazyli** _

_I'm going in :)_

_**PeriTech** _

_DO NOT. I AM BUSY. YOU WILL ONLY DISTRACT ME_

_**LapisLazyli** _

_Will not._

_**PeriTech** _

_You're doing it right now! I'M NOT SUPPOSED TO TEXT DURING WORK!_

_**LapisLazyli** _

_Going in._

* * *

Peridot swore under her breath as she turned her phone off and put it in her bag. Of course Lapis would show up early the one time she didn't need to. Peridot continued her grumbling as she made her way up the stairs and towards the shelves. At least she had a while before Lapis actually found the store. Working at the " Healing Crystal Paradise" shop that Rose ran was a fairly easy job, but the they weren't very well known, and Peridot knew that Lapis got lost easily. The teen smirked as she re-stocked their supply of Blue Lace Agate that was on display. Maybe she had finally gotten the better of that chatterbox. These thoughts were shattered by the ringing of the bell on the door. Peridot turned around, readying her usual speech about the store, but her words died in her throat as she saw who had walked in.

Standing in front of her was easily the biggest person she had ever seen, besides Rose, and this woman came very close in terms of size. She seemed to be around 6'11", maybe taller, and probably hit the gym twice a day. Perhaps literally, as she was covered in dark markings, though Peridot couldn't tell what they were. The patrons amber eyes narrowed as she looked around the shop. After a moment, she spotted Peridot staring at her, and walked across the room in a few steps. The woman seemed even larger up close, and from here, Peridot could see the splotches were some kind of skin discoloration.

_"I think that's called vitiligo."_  she thought as she craned her neck to look up at the customer.

"Hey." said the woman in a deep scratchy voice. The sudden greeting caught Peridot off guard. She gulped slightly, hoping that this woman, whoever she was, was not angry at her in any way, shape, or form.

"Y-yes?" she stammered, ashamed of how scared she sounded.

"Are you Peridot?" asked the woman.

"That's me. What can I do for- wait. How do you know my name?" said Peridot, any fear she had replaced with curiosity as to how this person knew her name. She wasn't wearing a name tag of any sort, and tended to keep her name private, so the woman shouldn't have known who she was. Said woman let out a huge laugh at Peridot's indignant response.

"Feisty, aren't ya? Well, Peri, let's just say that a little bird told me." she said, smirking. Before Peridot could respond, the woman stuck her head outside the door and yelled down the street.

"It's the right one! Get in here before we're towed!" she shouted before waving at Peridot and leaving. Seconds later, Lapis walked in the room, slightly embarrassed.

"Hey Dots. I see you met my sister." she said, walking over to Peridot. Peridot pointed in the general direction the woman had left.

" _THAT'S_  your sister?" she asked. Lapis laughed at the dumbfounded expression on Peridot's face.

"Yup, that was Jasper. I see you made a good impression on her, as it seems she didn't leave a scratch on you." she said. She laughed a bit more when Peridot looked horrified.

"I kid, I kid, she wouldn't hurt you. Trust me." she said when she had finished giggling. Peridot scowled.

"First of all, don't joke like that, and second, don't call me Dots." she grumbled as she put up the new display of gems. Lapis leaned over her shoulder and stared at the rocks.

"What kind of gems are those?" she asked, pointing at the ones Peridot was organizing. The gems in question were varying shades of blue with small gold lines running through them.

"These are, ironically, Lapis Lazuli." said Peridot, picking up one of the stones and handing it to Lapis. The other girl examined the gem, a smile on her face, and held it up to the light.

"Well, for once, I'm proud of my name." she said, putting the rock back with the others. Peridot would have asked what she meant if she hadn't gotten distracted by the door flying open.

"Okay, car's parked legally, I think. Time to say hello properly." exclaimed Jasper. She walked over to Peridot and stuck out a hand.

"Name's Jasper. Nice to meet you." she said. Peridot quickly shook hands.

"Peridot Diamond, likewise. Now, if you don't mind explaining, how do you know my name?" she said, eyes narrowing. Jasper laughed.

"Well, I guess I should say Lapis, but that's not the case. One of my girlfriends told me about you. Turns out you're rather close." she said. Peridot felt a little uneasy.

"What do you mean?" she said slowly, trying to figure out in her head who else could have known her name and be dating this mountain of a woman.

"Well, Pearl IS your sister, right?" said Jasper. Peridot gasped slightly. Jasper's smile faded as she noticed the stunned look on Peridot's face.

"Wait, she hasn't told you yet, like, at all?" she said, her voice rising, visibly upset. "She said she was going to tell you about us!"

"About who?" asked Peridot shakily. Jasper threw her hands in the air in exasperation.

**_"ABOUT ME AND AMETHYST!"_**  she shouted. "Y'know, her girlfriends? Her significant others? Didn't she say  ** _ANYTHING?!"_**

"Jasper, calm down, you know how you get when you're angry." said Lapis, stepping between her sister and Peridot. Jasper paced the room, ranting to herself, punctuating each sentence with a hand gesture.

"She's  _always_  like this! She keeps  _saying_  she'll tell her family, that she'll come out to them, that we won't have to be a  _secret_! Why does she never follow  _through!?_ "

"Jasper, please, you're going to break something!" snapped Lapis, Peridot cowering behind her. Jasper stopped in the middle of the room, taking shaky breaths, clearly not calm in the slightest. Lapis walked over to her sister and wrapped her arms around her the best she could.

"Listen. I know it's hard for you, to keep hearing stuff like that, but think about the now. You're upset, and you have every right to be, but that doesn't mean you can make a scene, okay?" she said. Jasper returned the hug, all of her energy spent, choking back tears.

"She promised, Lapis." she whispered.

"I know. We can sort that out later. For now, you need to calm down, and focus." said Lapis, her voice slightly muffled by Jasper's shoulder. Peridot stared at the two siblings in awe. If it had been her, she would have panicked and ran, let alone go near Jasper. She took a deep breath and stepped forwards. Even if she and Pearl fought sometimes, they were still related, and she felt like she had to say something in her sister's defense.

"Look, I don't know much about your relationship with Pearl and this Amethyst person, but I do know that my mother is extremely homophobic. If Pearl outed herself, she would have been kicked out of the house, or worse. She always wants to make everyone happy, but it's just not possible, and I hope you understand that. I'm sure she cares for you and Amethyst very much. Just because she can't be open with her feelings doesn't make them any less valid." She would have said more, but found herself being pulled into the hug, unable to escape. She squirmed a little as she was squished between the two others.

"Thank you." said Jasper quietly. "Both of you."

"No problem sis." said Lapis. Peridot just nodded. The three ended the hug as someone's phone began playing J-pop music.

"Oh, just a sec, that's mine." said Jasper, moving to the other side of the room and beginning to talk to someone. Peridot looked over at Lapis, as if to say " J-pop? Really?" Lapis just shrugged and smiled. Jasper walked back over to them.

"Amethyst needs a ride to the shelter. Judging by her voice though, I'd say she got into a another fight. Lapis, I'm gonna need the first aid kit. Sorry for bailing on you Peridot, but the girlfriend calls." she said, heading towards the door and holding it open for Lapis.

"See you soon Peri. Text me next time you wanna meet up!" said Lapis, heading outside. Peridot waved at her.

"Don't worry, I will." she said. Jasper turned to go as well, but stopped and looked back at Peridot.

"Hey, Peridot?"

"Yeah?"

"Take good care of Lapis." she said with a smirk, letting the door close behind her, leaving the shop quiet except for the last few rings of the bell. Peridot blushed and went back to work.

_"Take good care of Lapis? It's not like I'm dating her..."_  she thought sullenly as she finished the display. Later that night, when Rose went to close up, she noticed some money in the register with a note that read;

_Rose,_

_I don't usually buy stuff from here, but I thought that one of the rocks looked a little off, so I bought it. Hope you don't mind._

_Peridot_

Rose smiled and looked towards the newest display. Steven had told her all about the recent events surrounding the Quartz and Diamond families. She let out a small laugh, turned to pack her bags, and left. Anyone going past the store that night wouldn't have known it, but the window display was indeed one rock short, a small piece of Lapis Lazuli.


	4. Babysitting

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: Thanks for the support! Here's the new chapter!

"Steven, for the last time, I am NOT re-watching the Crying Breakfast Friends Christmas Special." groaned Peridot from the couch. The small boy she was babysitting looked up at her with sad eyes.

"But Dottyyyyy, this is the one where Weeping Warm Water and Lethargic Lime Pie confess their love for each other!" he whined. Peridot rubbed her temples as another headache began to form.

"I know it's your favorite part Steven, but I've already seen it exactly 12 times, I know what happens." she said. " Plus, it isn't even December yet!"

"It's almost December! Besides, my mom's been playing Christmas music for a month!" Steven protested. Peridot considered giving in yet again, but a knock on the door caught her attention.

"Pearl, answer the door!" she shouted. No response came from her sister. Peridot grumbled and slowly made her way off the couch and down the stairs.

_"Who would be coming over this late?"_  she wondered as she reached to open the front door. _"There's only one person..."_

"Who is it?" she said. The response she got confirmed her suspicions that her visitor was indeed Lapis.

"Penny for your thoughts, Dot?"

"Are you always going to call me that?"

"And are you always going to make me wait in the rain for five minutes before you let me in?"

"Fair enough." Peridot concluded, opening the door to let Lapis inside. Lapis kicked off her boots and haphazardly tossed her soaking wet coat onto the coat rack.

"You might want to move that. Pearl will have a fit." said Peridot, knowing her sister's need for organization.

"Eh, how bad could it be?" said Lapis. Before they could continue on the subject, many small thumping noises heralded Steven's descent down the stairs.

"LAPIS!" he shouted happily, jumping from the stairs and into her arms.

"Hey Steven! I didn't know you were here today! Wassup little man?" said Lapis, holding the young boy. Steven beamed.

"Oh man, you missed so much stuff during the school play! Jamie let me be the Snow Princess!" he said. Lapis smiled at him.

"Really? Tell me more." she said, walking to the stairs. Peridot followed the two of them, nervously fretting about Steven, hoping that Lapis didn't drop him. The group made their way to Peridot's bedroom, where Lapis and Steven sat down on the couch, and Peridot sat on her bunk bed. She was slightly annoyed that Lapis had dropped in without warning, however, seeing how happy she was to be with Steven kept Peridot from making any complaints. The two guests to her room talked for almost half an hour about various things. Peridot spent most of the time on her laptop prepping for Monday's class. After a while, she noticed the room had gone quiet, and she looked up to determine the cause. There wasn't a soul in sight. She quickly climbed down from her bed and searched the room. She could hear faint giggling from the closet. She sighed and stood next to it.

"Oh wow, Steven's gone, I wonder where he could be?" she said in a fake-surprised voice. More giggling could he heard. She walked a bit closer to the closet.

"Maybe in here?" she said. The giggles increased in volume.

"Oh golly, I hope it's not the tickle monster, here to get me." she monotoned. She heard more laughing, but it was now coming from two directions, the closet and her couch. Peridot spun around, mildly freaked out, and the giggling stopped. The hairs on the back of her neck stood up as she heard the closet door creak open.

"TICKLE MONSTER ATTACK!" shouted Lapis, jumping from the closet and onto Peridot. The two fell to the floor as Peridot lost her balance. Steven popped up from underneath one of the couch cushions.

"You got her, tickle monster Lapis!" he said triumphantly. Peridot may have yelled at him, but was currently out of breath, because Lapis was surprisingly good at tickling. She gasped for air in between laughs. Lapis was looking very smug.

"Do you surrender?" she asked.

"Never!" Peridot tried to shout, but it ended up as more of a whisper. She was not going to let Lapis, or anyone, beat her at something so undignified.

"The only way to defeat the tickle monster is with the kiss monster!" advised Steven. Peridot would have normally blushed, but in the moment, she heeded Steven's advice. She yanked Lapis down to her level and planted a kiss on her cheek. Lapis ceased her tickling for a second, but then resumed, smiling.

"It'll take more than that to drain my power!" she yelled. Peridot smirked and pounced in her again.

"Well then, take this!" she said, kissing Lapis again on the cheek, and moving down to her neck. Every time she was tickled, she retaliated with a kiss, and eventually Lapis stopped tickling her altogether.

"Oh no! I have been defeated!" she said dramatically, flopping onto the floor, pinning Peridot to the ground.

"Indeed you have. Now please get off of me." Peridot wheezed. Lapis stayed where she was, panting, slightly out of breath from the whole event. Steven hopped off the couch and joined the pile on the floor.

"Can we watch Crying Breakfast Friends now? Please?" he asked, giving them his best puppy-dog eyes. Peridot made a mental note to never give in to Steven's charms again.

"Fine, you can watch it, but only if you keep it quiet." she grumbled.

"Yay! Thank you so much Dotty!" he said, getting up and running over to the TV. Lapis looked down at Peridot and smiled.

"So Dotty, are you gonna watch with us?" she said. Peridot realized the position they were in and fell a blush forming on her face.

"Sure, just.. get up." she said quickly. Lapis pushed herself to her feet and held out a hand to help Peridot. Peridot accepted the help and limped over to the couch.

"Are you okay?" asked Lapis, concerned. Peridot nodded.

"I'm fine. Just a little bruised." she said, sitting on one of the cushions. Steven started up the movie. Peridot begrudgingly watched, wincing at the characters annoying voices, trying to not run out of the room to escape this holiday horror. When it came time for Weeping Warm Water and Lethargic Lime Pie to confess their feelings, Peridot was mentally saying the lines along with the show, having seen it so many times. She noticed Lapis was really into it, mouthing the words, and she seemed to be enjoying the film.

"I didn't know how I felt until now..." whispered the cartoon slice of pie onscreen. "I didn't know if what I felt was right... I didn't know how to tell you."

"It's okay, Pie. You can tell me anything." replied the glass of water. Peridot snapped to attention, not because of the show, but because Lapis had said that line out loud. Steven paused the movie and looked up at Lapis with stars in his eyes.

"Lapis, you know all the words? That's so cool! Peridot does too!" he said.

"Does she really?" said Lapis. Steven nodded.

"Can you guys do the confession scene together?" he asked. "Please, please, please, please, please?"

"If Peri's up to it, then sure!" said Lapis. Both Steven and Lapis looked over at Peridot expectantly. Peridot sighed.

"If it'll get this over quicker, then fine." she grumbled. Steven happily rewound the movie a bit and pressed play. He hit the mute button so he could hear his friends properly. Peridot took a deep breath.

"I've known you were something special from the moment I met you." she recited. "I've never felt this way before about anyone. I think it could be..."

"Could be what?" said Lapis, putting a bit more emotion into her line. Peridot realized that she was being one-upped.

"Maybe it could be love!" she said, adding a dramatic hand gesture to go with the words, even though Lethargic Lime Pie didn't have any arms. Lapis smiled and moved a bit closer.

"Love? Why didn't you say so? I've felt the same way!" she said, eyes wide, hands clutched over her chest. Peridot grabbed her by the shoulders.

"You have? Oh, I'm such a fool! If I had told you sooner, we could have been together!" she said, letting her hands drop. Lapis held them in her own, pulling them closer together, pretending to sob like her cartoon counterpart was doing.

"But we still can be together, Pie! We can still be there for each other, no matter what!" she cried. "I love you!"

"And I love you, so, so much!" said Peridot, finishing the dialogue. The two characters on the TV leaned forward to kiss, and back in real life, Lapis and Peridot noticed that they were very close to each other. Peridot was about to resume her normal position on the couch when Lapis placed her hands on Peridot's cheeks.

"Don't want to leave the scene unfinished." she whispered. She quickly closed the gap between them and kissed Peridot. Unlike the kisses from the game earlier, this one was square on the mouth, and didn't end right away. Peridot was freaking out mentally, but at some point she closed her eyes and kissed back, almost all of her embarrassment fading away. The two broke off the kiss after a few seconds, and stayed put, both blushing slightly. Their attention soon turned to Steven, who was sitting next to them, and clapping.

"That was amazing! You guys were so convincing!" he said. Lapis nervously ran her hand through her hair while Peridot adjusted her glasses.

"Thanks Steven. Why don't you go get us a movie snack?" she suggested. Steven got up and ran down the stairs.

"Be back in a sec!" he yelled.

"Be careful!" Peridot shouted back.

"Hey, Peridot?"

"What?"

"Was that... too much?" asked Lapis. Peridot turned to look at the other girl. Lapis seemed very uncomfortable.

"I know what I said, but that was really not something I should have done right then, especially since I don't know what your boundaries are for that sort of thing." she continued. Peridot sat in silence for a while.

"It wasn't too much, it was just.. unexpected. I've never been kissed before." she admitted.

"Really? Never?" asked Lapis.

"No one before you, that's for sure." Peridot said awkwardly. Lapis blushed even more.

"Wow... I was your first kiss? I hope I didn't let down some dream you might have had about the perfect guy." she said with a small laugh. Peridot shook her head.

"Don't worry, I am definitely not into guys, and your kissing was... pretty good." she replied. Lapis smiled a little.

"Then.. do you think.. you might want to do it again?" she asked. Before Peridot could respond Steven came back into the room. The plate he was carrying seemed to contain waffles, syrup, and... was that popcorn?

"I made us a Together Snack!" he said, excited to share his creation. He handed out forks and sat down to finish the movie. By the time Steven had to leave, it was very late, and he was practically asleep while Rose carried him out to Greg's van.

"Hey Peridot... it's kinda dark... and I don't my bus is running anymore. Can I sleep here tonight?" said Lapis. Peridot sighed.

"You, Lapis Lazuli, are very lucky that my mom's on a business trip." she said, tossing a pillow at Lapis. Lapis caught it and curled up on the couch.

"Thanks a ton Peri. Goodnight." she said with a yawn.

"Goodnight Lapis." said Peridot quietly. She would normally stay up into the early hours of the morning, but after all that had happened that day, all she wanted to do was sleep. She allowed herself a small smile and one last thought before drifting off.

_"Goodnight Lapis... I think... maybe... I might love you."_


	5. Not a morning person

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: I was really tired when I wrote this, so there's bound to be errors, sorry. Thanks for all the support!

 

Dawn was breaking, birds were starting to sing, and Peridot was very unhappy. Normally, she would wake up around 9:00 on Sundays, wander down to the kitchen, and browse her social media accounts on her phone. Today was different. Today, as she jolted awake to extremely loud music, she remembered that Lapis had slept over the previous night.

"Lapis, what the hell is wrong with you?!" she yelled as she scrambled down from her bed. She looked over at the couch to see that Lapis was still asleep, despite her phone blaring music at max volume.

"Lapis! Wake up!" shouted Peridot, frantically tapping at Lapis' phone. She tried to turn off the alarm but couldn't figure out the password. She was about to give up when a hand reached out and swiped at the phone screen. Amazingly, it seemed to activate the device, as the music shut off right away.

"Do you always scream at people in the morning?" grumbled Lapis, her voice muffled by the pillow she had shoved her face into.

"Most people don't wake up the whole neighborhood at 5:00 in the morning." said Peridot, scowling.

"I'm sure you have a point, but sadly, I don't care." said Lapis, turning away from Peridot. Peridot grabbed Lapis by the shoulder and rolled her off the couch and on to the floor.

"If I'm going to be up this early because of you, than you are going to be awake with me, like it or not." said Peridot. Lapis groaned and covered her face with her arm.

"But I don't wanna get up..." she whined. Peridot sighed heavily and tried to move Lapis again.

"Well, too bad, you are getting up  _NOW_." she said. She grabbed Lapis by the arm and pulled. To her surprise, Lapis sat up right away, and quickly moved away form Peridot. She looked panicked and held her limbs close to her body. Peridot drew back her hand.

"Lapis? Are you okay?" she asked. Lapis looked down at the floor.

"I'm fine... it's just... bad memories." she mumbled, standing up. She walked back over to the couch and sat down. Peridot sat down next to her.

"Do you... want to talk about it?" Peridot asked quietly. Lapis attempted a smile.

"No, I'm fine, really." she said. Peridot tried to look as serious as possible.

"Lapis, I won't ask you about it if it makes you uncomfortable, but I don't want you to be upset with me. If I did something wrong, please tell me, and I won't do it again." she said. Lapis stopped smiling and pulled Peridot into a hug.

"You didn't do anything wrong Peri. I've just had some bad stuff happen in the past. I don't like to talk about it to anyone. And when you grabbed me... it reminded me of a few incidents, and I kinda freaked out. It wasn't your fault. she whispered. Peridot hugged her back.

"I still feel bad. If I can apologize in any way, please, let me know." she said. Lapis moved away from the hug, her usual happy expression back on her face.

"Well, you could answer my question from last night." she said with a sly smirk. Peridot blushed as she understood what Lapis meant.

"I... would not be.. opposed to more kissing." she said after a moment of thought. Lapis smiled and moved closer.

"Would you be okay with one now?" she asked. Peridot blushed a bit more.

"I suppose..." she muttered. Lapis leaned forwards and kissed her gently. Peridot shifted her position on the couch so she could get closer to Lapis. Their first kiss lasted a few seconds, and was followed by a few more. Eventually, they were interrupted when Lapis' phone buzzed, alerting her to a text. She rolled her eyes and checked the device.

"Hey, did you know that Pearl slept over at my sister's place last night?" she asked Peridot. Peridot moved closer to look at the phone.

"No, I didn't. She usually doesn't go out a lot." she said, reading the texts onscreen.

* * *

**_Cheeto Puff_ **

_Yo, if you're still at Dot's place, tell her that Pearl slept over._

**_Lazi_ **

_Got it. You guys do anything? ;P_

**_Cheeto Puff_ **

_Very funny. No, nothing intimate happened, as we were taking care of Amethyst all night._

**_Lazi_ **

_Is she okay?_

**_Cheeto Puff_ **

_Dunno yet. She got beat pretty badly. I'm sending Pearl back home. She didn't get any sleep._

**_Lazi_ **

_Okay, I'll let Peridot know._

* * *

"Since you seem to love reading over my shoulder, I assume you know that Pearl's coming back soon?" said Lapis.

"I didn't know that Amethyst was hurt that badly." muttered Peridot. Lapis sighed and put her phone away.

"She's always getting into fights. She should be okay in a day or two. She's really tough." she said. She packed her backpack and stood up.

"Thanks for letting me stay here overnight." she said. "I should get back before Jasper freaks. She's acting calm now, but I've seen her when Amethyst has gotten hurt before, and she turns into a absolute emotional mess."

"Do you wanna meet up at school on Monday?" asked Peridot. Lapis nodded.

"Sounds good. I'll see you at lunchtime in the student building. See ya then!" she said as she went out the door. Peridot listened to her walk down the stairs and out the door. She sighed and flopped on the couch. Affection was not an emotion she was used to. Her phone beeped at her from where it was charging.

* * *

**_LapisLazily_ **

_BTW, when Pearl gets home, tell her I said hi. :)_

**_PeriTech_ **

_I will. Also, I thought I'd ask... are we dating now?_

**_LapisLazily_ **

_That depends. Do you want to be?_

**_PeriTech_ **

_Kinda. '^^_

**_LapisLazily_ **

_Then our lunch tomorrow will be a date. ;)_


	6. Dating, Deceiving, and Hospital beds

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: Here's chapter six! Time to up the ante, I'd say...

"So, as far as first dates go, I'd say this was a success." said Lapis. Peridot finished her drink and set her cup down. She hadn't expected Lapis would pay for both of their lunches. The two were sitting at a small table close to the glass wall of the student center. 

"Well, I've never been on a date, but I'd have to agree. This was...nice." said Peridot. Lapis smiled at her companion.

"I'm glad you had fun. Plus, we're both out of class for the day, so we can hang out longer." she said, waving her yogurt spoon in the air. Peridot sighed internally as she heard Lapis' phone ringing. Despite how much she used it, it never seemed to be out of battery, and it always interrupted them. Lapis looked at the screen. She rolled her eyes dramatically.

"It's Jasper. Gimmie a sec." she said, holding the phone to her ear and listening. She stayed quiet for a few moments before hanging up. Her previously happy expression had shifted into a serious one.

"I hate to leave early, but I have to go, _now._ I'll text you the details when I'm on the bus." she said, grabbing her bag and standing to leave.

"Okay, I understand, I think." said Peridot. Lapis leaned over and gave her a quick peck on the lips.

"Thanks. Keep your phone on, It's gonna be a long story." she said, starting to walk off. Peridot watched her, slightly disappointed that she had to go, but knew that whatever it was had to be important. Not long after, her phone buzzed, alerting her to a text from Lapis.

* * *

_**LapisLazily** _

_I'm on my way to the hospital. You should grab Pearl and come over as well._

_**PeriTech** _

_Why, what happened?_

_**LapisLazily** _

_It's Amethyst. She's still unconscious, and the doctors aren't sure if she'll wake up, ever._

_**PeriTech** _

_It's that bad?_

_**LapisLazily** _

_It's as bad as you think and probably worse. She was in a fight with another shelter kid a few days ago. They know for sure that he broke one of her ribs, but now they think it's lodged near, or in, her heart. She might not make it Peridot._

_**PeriTech** _

_I don't even know how to respond right now_

_**LapisLazily** _

_I know. For now, there's nothing we can do for her, but you can help Jasper. You need to tell Pearl what happened and get her down here as soon as you can._

_**PeriTech** _

_Is Jasper okay?_

_**LapisLazily** _

_I'm afraid not. Before she met Amethyst and Pearl, she had huge anger issues and severe depression, but when she met them it calmed her down. They're like, some sort of therapy for her, only they're people and not a program. I think they've been dating for almost half a year, and it might not seem like a long time, but I know that to Jasper it's meant a lot. Now, with what's happened to Amethyst, I think Jasper might relapse. Please, try to get Pearl to come with you to the hospital, it's the only thing I can think of that might help._

_**PeriTech** _

_On it. I'll be over there as soon as I can. I have a plan._

_**LapisLazily** _

_Please hurry._

* * *

Peridot put her phone away as she speed walked to the guidance office. She had a plan, but she was going to need a lot of help to pull it off, and she knew just the woman. She leaned over the Secretary's' desk.

"I need to see Garnet." she said. The secretary, Rainbow Quartz, looked up from her paperwork.

"In a rush hon?" she asked politely. Rainbow was Rose's childhood friend and knew Peridot well enough to know that she didn't "rush" anywhere. Peridot nodded.

"It's extremely important." she said. Rainbow nodded and pressed the intercom button on her desk.

"Garnet, there's a student here to see you, and she's in an awfully big hurry." she said.

"Send her in." was the quick response from the device. Peridot walked over to the office door and went in. Garnet looked up from her computer, mildly surprised, and focused on Peridot.

"Peridot? I don't see you too often. What do you need?" she asked.

"I need you to lie to my mother for me." said Peridot. Garnet looked intrigued.

"Go on." she said, folding her hands together. Peridot took a deep breath.

"I need to get Pearl out of the house to visit someone in the hospital, but my mother would never approve if she knew why, so I need you to cover for me. Pearl has been dating two other women for almost half a year. They are all very happy together, but now one might be dying, and the other one is having a breakdown. When my mother calls, and she will, I want you to confirm that Pearl and I are visiting out of friendship only. If she found out the truth, Pearl might get kicked out of the house, or worse. As for me... I happen to currently be dating one of the women's younger sister. Please, I know it's asking a lot of you, but I need your help." she explained.

"...Okay. I'll do it."

"You will?!"

"Of course. I happen to know who you're talking about Peridot, and believe me, Jasper and Amethyst need Pearl now more than ever. I'll call your mother first to let her know, so you can pick up Pearl and go right to the hospital. In fact, I'll get Greg to drive you both there, so get going. I'll give him a call. He should be here in about 15 minutes." said Garnet with one of her rare smiles. Peridot sighed, relived, and sped out of the office.

"Thank you!" she yelled behind her as she ran towards the doors. As Garnet predicted, around fifteen minutes later, a familiar van rolled into the campus parking lot.

_"That woman has an uncanny sense of time."_ thought Peridot as she jogged over to the vehicle. She gave a quick hello to Greg, the driver, and hopped into the backseat area with Pearl. She then proceeded to give her sister all the details as they drove to the hospital.

"Amethyst... I didn't know...it was so bad..." whispered Pearl. She put her head in her hands and sobbed quietly. Peridot did her best to comfort her sister. It didn't take long before they were at the hospital. Peridot said thanks to Greg and followed Pearl into the building. The two made their way to the floor Amethyst was on. Lapis was waiting outside of the room for them.

"Thank whatever gods that might be out there." she sighed. Peridot noticed that she looked very tired. Lapis opened the door for Pearl.

"They're in here." she said quietly. Peridot peeked into the room. Jasper was hunched over on a chair, but stood up when Pearl walked in, and enveloped her in a massive hug.

"You're here..." she whispered, tears streaking down her face. Pearl hugged her back tightly. Peridot felt a heart-wrenching tug in her chest as she realized just how much they meant to each other. She let her view move over to the girl in the bed. Long, dyed light purple hair kept the girl's face out of view, but Peridot could tell that she wasn't doing well. Machines beeped at Peridot as she watched the situation before her. Lapis grabbed her arm and pulled her back into the hall.

"Thanks for doing this." she said. Peridot attempted a smile.

"Hey, anything for my sister, and for you." she said. Lapis grinned weakly and hugged Peridot.

"I'm scared Peri." she admitted. Peridot hugged her back.

"Me too, Lapis, me too." she muttered. They stayed like that for a while, embracing in the hall, glad to have each other, even for just a moment.

"So, what happens now?" asked Peridot. Lapis looked up at her sadly.

"We wait."


	7. The Flashback Chapter

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: Like the tile says, this chapter is a bunch of flashbacks/POV shots, switching between characters. I hope you're not confused.

Peridot POV - Years ago

"You really mean it Pearl?" inquired a younger Peridot. Pearl blushed.

"Yeah, I'm sure about it. I'm... gay." she said nervously. Peridot breathed a sigh of relief and smiled brightly at her twin.

"Me too!"

* * *

Lapis POV - Years ago

"Look kid, I don't care who you date, as long as you don't break any of my rules." huffed Malachite. Lapis looked over at her mother. The scarred middle aged woman was slouched over on the couch, watching the TV, and paying no further attention to her younger daughter. She was probably high again, judging by the distinctive smell in the air, and the half-empty bag of corn chips that she was slowly munching her way through. Lapis didn't know if she should be happy, as her mother didn't attack her for coming out, or if she should be angry that Malachite didn't seem to care. She turned her back and walked out of the room.

"Mom give you a hard time about the gay thing?" asked Jasper, noticing the down look on Lapis' face.

"No. She just ignored me." sighed Lapis. Jasper patted her on the head gently.

"She ignored me too kid, don't worry about it."

* * *

Pearl POV - around 6 months ago

"So... you're a dancer?"

"Neat-o! You'll have to show us sometime, P!"

"I-I'm sure I will..." said Pearl. She wasn't used to having a conversation with two people at once. But, when she had agreed to the date with Jasper and Amethyst, she wasn't sure what she expected. Now it seemed that things were pretty normal, as dates go, the only major difference being the number of people involved. Pearl looked out the window.

"Hey, you okay?" asked Amethyst. "You're staring into the distance all dramatic - like."

"I'm fine. I was just wondering... are you two sure you want me to date you?" she said quietly. Jasper got up and moved to sit next to Pearl. Amethyst followed suit. They wrapped their arms around her in a tight hug.

"Trust us..."

"We do."

* * *

Jasper POV - A few days ago

"Hey Jazzy." called Amethyst. Jasper set down her barbells and jogged over to her. Amethyst wasn't usually at the gym this late.

"What are you doing here?" she asked.

"Well, it's been almost half a year since we brought Pearl into our relationship. I thought we could do something special for her, y'know, to celebrate." said Amethyst. Jasper grinned and picked up her small girlfriend.

"That's a great idea!" she said, walking out of the gym.

"I know, right? I'll meet you tonight at the shelter, kay?" said Amethyst. Jasper nodded and set her down gently.

"I'll be there. I just have to drop off Lapis somewhere first. I think it's some rock store. Her crush works there." she said.

* * *

Steven POV- A couple of days ago

"Jasper, what's wrong with Amethyst? Why isn't she getting up?" asked Steven. Jasper ruffled his hair weakly.

"She's hurt really badly, buddy." she said with a sigh. Steven frowned. He wasn't used to seeing Jasper so upset. And Amethyst usually was up and about the day after a fight, showing off her new scars, making up fantastical stories. Today she was lying in the spare room, barely moving, occasionally letting out a moan. The young boy wasn't sure how badly Amethyst was hurt, but he decided that he was going to make her better. The rest of his day was was spent sitting next to Amethyst, reading to her from his Crying Breakfast Friends storybook, and helping Jasper feed her. By the time night rolled around, Amethyst showed no signs of getting better, and Jasper had gone downstairs to call the youth shelter. Steven looked over at his friend. She had fallen asleep, he noticed, and he nudged her shoulder gently.

"C'mon, Amethyst, Jasper said you weren't supposed to go to sleep yet." he said. No response. He anxiously watched the clock, deciding to wait two minutes before trying to wake her up again, but to no avail. He ran over to the door and shouted down the hall.

"Jasper! Amethyst fell asleep and she isn't waking up!"

"She's what?!" came the response. Steven found himself standing outside the room as Jasper examined Amethyst. Soon, he could hear sirens coming from outside, and he had an idea as to what they were. He was picked up from Mala's house by his parents and brought home.

"Mom?"

"Yes Steven?"

"Is Amethyst gonna be okay?" he asked quietly. Rose looked into the backseat of the van. Steven was looking down at the floor, saddened and scared by the whole situation. Rose smiled and reached back to hold his hand.

"We're just going to have to wait and see..."

* * *

Amethyst POV - The present

Machines beeping and the smell of medicine were the first things Amethyst noticed as she came to.

_"I wish I could say this isn't familiar... but I can't."_  she thought as she tried to get an idea of her surroundings. This was soon interrupted by the realization that her chest hurt more than it ever had in the past.

_"Feels like I got stabbed with an icicle."_  she thought, trying to move, but unable to find the energy to do so. She manged to let out a small groan of pain. Voices surrounded her.

**"She's awake!"**  shouted someone. The voice was very familiar. It sounded like someone had mixed a bull with a human and given it estrogen shots.

_"Whelp, that's Jasper."_  thought Amethyst. The sound of someone crying reached her ears.  _"And I bet that's Pearl."_

* * *

Back to the normal POV

"Amethyst? Can you hear me?" asked Pearl.

"Well, it appears so, since you haven't shut up yet." said Amethyst, smiling weakly. Pearl let out a sob of relief.

"The doctors said you might never wake up..." she whispered, wiping tears off her face. She reached out and held the other girl's hand. Jasper joined in after she finished her victory lap around the room.

"Way to make me cry in front of everyone, you dork." she said, attempting to look tough. Amethyst smirked.

"You're welcome. I'm open 8-4, Monday though Friday, please come again." she said. The three of them all laughed a little. They were interrupted when Lapis and Peridot walked though the door, hand in hand. Amethyst raised an eyebrow.

"So what did I miss?"


	8. Chapter 8 - The one with parents

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> THIS IS THE LAST ONE!

**AN: Sorry for the long wait, I've had a lot of stuff do do, collage related.**

* * *

" Peri, wake up!"

" Five more minutes..." Peridot mumbled into her pillow. She had stayed up late that night talking to Lapis, and was in no mood to be woken up, let alone this early in the morning. She groggily lifted her head and peered at the digital clock. She took one look at the time and bolted upright.

" It's 3:45 AM! What the hell Lapis?" she shouted. Lapis yanked Peridot off the bed that the hospital had provided.

" Amethyst woke up!" she said, pulling the other girl out into the hall. Peridot grabbed Lapis' hand and followed her down the hall.

" Is she gonna be okay?" she asked, stifling a yawn. Lapis grinned widely.

" The doctor's say that she'll be a-okay!" she said, pressing the elevator button. The stood waited anxiously.

" To think that all of this started because of an elevator." observed Peridot. Lapis smiled at her.

" It seem's like it's been longer than it actually has." she said. The two stayed quiet on the elevator ride, hand in hand, reflecting on their situation. They walked into the room to see Pearl and Jasper smiling at them, and Amethyst watching them from her bed, smirking.

"So what did I miss?"

** Current time... **

Lapis walked over to her sister and hugged her before grinning at Amethyst.

"You missed a lot, to say the least." she said. Peridot walked over and attempted to look awake.

"You must be Amethyst. I'm Peridot. Nice to meet you." she said. Amethyst raised and eyebrow.

"Hey, wondernerd, it's great to meet you in person. " she said. " Are you and Lapis a thing?"

"Uhh... yes, we are." stammered Peridot, not sure how to respond to the " wondernerd " statement. Amethyst let out a weak laugh, followed by a cough, and smiled.

"That's awesome. Anything else I should be informed about?" she asked. Someone may have answered if the door hadn't flew open at that exact moment.

**" SOMEONE HAD BETTER TELL ME WHAT THE F%$#'S BEEN GOING ON, THIS INSTANT!"** yelled the woman that barged in.

**" MOM, WHAT THE F*#%? IT'S 4 IN THE F* &#& ! MORNING!"** Jasper bellowed back.

Lapis grabbed Peridot's hand tightly. Peridot assumed that the lady in the doorway was Lapis and Jasper's mother. Her hair was all over the place, and may have been dyed at some point, but had now faded to a very pale green. Large dark markings stretched across her face, exaggerating her furious expression, and her eyes were slightly bloodshot. Hospital security removed her from the room soon after, but most of the people left were silent for a while longer, save for Jasper swearing quietly.

" So... that was my mom." muttered Lapis.

" I noticed." replied Peridot. " Is she always like that?"

" Only when she's not stoned." Lapis said, sighing. Amethyst let out a low whistle.

" Sooooo... what has been happening?" she asked.

" You've been dying." stated Peridot, earning herself a glare from Pearl, and a laugh from Amethyst.

" Dying? I've never done that before. I'll scratch it off the bucket list."

" Your bucket list is more like a well." Jasper remarked. Everyone in the room shared an uneasy laugh. Some of the doctors arrived in the room and began shuffling everyone out so that Amethyst could rest. Peridot glanced over at Pearl, who had begun talking on her phone, and tensed as she recognized the caller ID. Pearl motioned for her to come over. The two took a beep breath as the person on the other end picked up.

"Hello mother." said Pearl. Peridot leaned towards the phone.

" We've got something to tell you..."

* * *

**7:30 AM**

" So, what happens now?" said Lapis. Peridot looked up from the bench she was lying on and scowled a little.

" Well, according to the clock, it's time for school." she grumbled. Lapis smirked.

" I think that Garnet will understand the stress we've been through and let it slide. After all, you did just come out to your mom." she said, ruffling Peridot's already messy hair. Peridot smiled weakly. It had taken a couple of hours and heavy sibling support to tell her mom the news.

" At least we didn't get kicked out. " she said. She looked over at Pearl. Her sister was cuddled up to Jasper, taking a nap. The whole ordeal had been hard on both of them.

" I'm glad that it worked out." said Lapis. Peridot sat up groggily and planted a kiss on her partner's cheek.

" Same to you. What happened, exactly?" she mumbled, stretching her muscles. She hadn't seen much of it, but Lapis and Jasper had been talking to their mom, and had seemed to sort things out. Malachite had, as she found out later, apologized for being a bad parent and let Lapis come home if she wanted to.

" I can't believe mom was actually scared for us..." said Lapis.

" As soon as she heard " your children " and " hospital " she assumed one of us was dying. And then came the big reveal. Y'know, for years, I thought she was getting high for the hell of it? Turns out it's for chronic pain. She got the bends when she was younger and hasn't been the same since. Makes me feel guilty for being such a jerk to her." she said quietly, looking at the floor.

" Hey, don't blame yourself, okay?" said Peridot, wrapping an arm around her girlfriend. Lapis leaned into her.

" So, what are you gonna do now?" asked Lapis. " Your mom really didn't sound happy."

" You know what? " said Peridot. She leaned to to kiss Lapis again.

" I think I'll stay with you."

* * *

**AN: AND THAT'S IT! THE END! Thank you so much for everyone who read this silly idea I had! I have some art based on it over on my DA account, if you wanna check that out, and I might do more art based off this AU. I hope you enjoyed this story as much as I did!**


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